AN: Once again, I do not own Twilight or anything pertaining thereto.
I don't plan to do too much story juggling, but I've always been interested in the behind-the-scenes stories to what we get in the books, and it wouldn't let me go. So here's my take on the start of the wolf-vampire alliance. Recognizable dialog is taken from Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer.
Jacob POV
"You really sure you want to do this, Jake?" Quil asked from the passenger seat of my Rabbit.
"She did invite me," I replied.
"Yeah," Embry chimed in from the back seat, "and then she broke her hand punching you in the face. She might not appreciate you showing up at her party now."
"Sure, sure," I dismissed their concerns. Despite their, and Sam's, doubts about the wisdom of this, I wasn't about to pass over any chance to see Bella, especially when any one might be the last. My fingers tightened convulsively on the steering wheel as I thought back to the last time I'd been over to her house, the night I'd come to catch the scent of some trespassing leech.
(flashback)
I stood in Bella's kitchen, rinsing off the dishes she was washing. "Can I ask another question? Just curious, again."
"Fine," she snapped. I turned the knife I was holding over and over. "You said a few weeks...When, exactly...?" I trailed off and held my breath, both waiting for, and dreading, her answer. "Graduation," she whispered, watching me with concern. "So soon," I breathed, shutting my eyes as if to try and block out the reality.
She'd graduated just that morning. Billy and I had driven up and sat with Charlie during the ceremony. He'd been so proud of her, and so clearly oblivious to the horrible significance of the milestone.
If I wasn't so scared of the answer, I could almost wish that I knew the exact date and time that she would be lost forever. But I wasn't ready for that, or to find out how the Cullen's planned to stage her 'death'. Could it even be tonight? Made out to look like a post-party drunk-driving accident?
As it turned out, I didn't have to worry about finding the Cullens' driveway: it was illuminated on both sides by thousands of lights wrapped around the trees.
"How in the world did they get power run out this far?" Quil wondered.
"No clue," Embry muttered.
Finding a place to park on the edge of the grass, we got out and stared at the house. Not where we'd have expected vampires to live. Big, modern, lots of windows and lights. And the stink. We all winced as the burn hit our noses.
"Do we have to do this?" Embry muttered.
"Yes, we do," I tossed over my shoulder, as I strode onto the wide porch and headed for the front door. The deep bass of the blaring music was almost palpable even with the door shut. I winced a little in anticipation what it would be like once I was inside. Werewolf hearing could be a killer, sometimes.
My finger depressed the doorbell with impatience, once, twice, a third time, for longer each time. When no one answered, I wondered if anyone, besides the leeches that is, could hear it over the music. The doorknob twisted easily in my hand and I pushed the door open.
The room was full of people; it seemed like most of Forks between the ages of 15 and 20 were there. Lights were dim, and red, giving a mysterious look to the room—just like expected. My height worked to advantage as I started scanning the room for Bella. I finally found her, fighting her way through the crowd toward the stairs leading up to the second floor.
"Hey, Bella," I called, catching a break in the music to carry my voice. She looked up, making a face as she realized it was me. Her gaze went past me, to where Quil and Embry were still standing in the doorway. They were frozen, as if they expected to be struck by lightning if they came all the way in.
My nose wrinkled as the full effect of the vampire stink began to permeate my senses. Yuck. Bella gave me a brief, dismissive wave, and then turned away again, apparently looking for someone. I used my size to work through the crowd, catching up with her near what appeared to be the kitchen; like leeches really needed one of those! I grasped her shoulder and pulled her closer to the wall, where the shadows would conceal us from quick view by the crowd.
"Friendly reception," I observed mildly.
"What are you doing here?" Bella demanded. What? Had she forgotten her invitation already?
"You invited me, remember?" I reminded her.
"In case my right hook was too subtle for you, let me translate, that was me uninviting you." She really did seem to be annoyed that I was there.
"Don't be a poor sport. I brought you a graduation present and everything."
Her arms were folded across her chest, in irritation though, not in the holding-herself-together gesture of a few months ago.
"Take it back to the store, Jake," she told me. "I've got to do something…"
I still wasn't about to let her get away from me. I moved to block her path.
"I can't take it back. I didn't get it from the store—I made it myself. Took me a really long time, too." I figured that would get her; Bella hated it when people put effort into something for her. She just couldn't let herself be rude about it.
She was still trying to peer around me, as if whoever she was looking for was more important than me.
"Oh, c'mon Bell. Don't pretend like I'm not here!" I whined.
"I'm not," she denied, "Look, Jake, I've got a lot on my mind right now." Sure she did, like the countdown to becoming a bloodsucker, I'd bet.
I grabbed her by the chin and gently forced her face up to look into mine. "Could I please have just a few seconds of your undivided attention, Miss Swan?" I asked. She jerked away from me.
"Keep your hands to yourself, Jacob," she hissed angrily.
"Sorry!" I apologized. "I really am sorry. About the other day, I mean, too. I shouldn't have kissed you like that." Not that I was regretting it, just that she'd gotten hurt. "It was wrong. I guess…well, I guess I deluded myself into thinking you wanted me to."
"Deluded—what a perfect description!" she almost sneered.
"Be nice. You could accept my apology, you know."
"Fine. Apology accepted. Now if you'll just excuse me for a moment." Sheesh, Bella really had a one-track mind about getting away from me. Maybe Embry and Quil and the rest had been right. Maybe coming here had been a big mistake.
"Okay," I mumbled. I guess I sounded down enough that she was distracted from her searching to stop and look at me. Excellent. I dropped my eyes in apparent sadness and let my lip pout out a little, like I hadn't since I was a kid. Resist this!
I guess you'd rather be with your real friends. I get it." And in a way I did. I'd been drawing lines ever since the Cullens had come back, and maybe she was finally tired of trying to walk along them. Maybe I was the one making things hard. Edward Cullen hadn't been objecting to Bella spending time at La Push, or in my picking Bella up at the border. If I was the problem, maybe she was just done with trying to solve it.
She groaned, "Aw, Jake, you know that's not fair." No it wasn't, but why should I play fair?
"Do I?"
"You should," she insisted. I didn't answer.
"Jake? Hey, you said you made me something, right? Was that just talk? Where's my present?" Her enthusiasm was a little faked, and I knew she was trying to make me feel better. "I'm waiting."
"Right," I snorted, but handed over the folded fabric I'd removed from my back pocket.
"Hey, that's pretty, Jake. Thanks."
"The present is inside, Bella."
"Oh." She couldn't seem to get it open, so I had to take it back and loosen the drawstring for her, upending the bag over her outstretched hand. The silver bracelet I'd gotten her slithered out of the bag and pooled in her open palm.
"I didn't make the bracelet," I admitted. "Just the charm." She held the bracelet so she could examine the tiny wolf charm more clearly.
"It's beautiful. You made this? How?" she whispered.
"It's something Billy taught me," I shrugged. "He's better at it than I am."
"That's hard to believe," she disagreed.
"Do you really like it?" I asked.
"Yes! It's unbelievable, Jake." I grinned, happy that she liked my efforts, but that soon faded.
"Well, I figured that maybe it would make you remember me once in a while. You know how it is, out of sight, out of mind."
She ignored me and held out her unsplinted left arm. "Here, help me put this on."
"You'll wear it?" I asked as I fastened the clasp around her wrist. I'd figured it would just end up staying in the bag and maybe get looked at occasionally.
"Of course I will," she sounded a bit surprised.
She returned my smile for a moment, before her eyes began to sweep the room yet again.
"Why're you so distracted?" I wondered aloud. Something, besides her natural distaste for social gatherings where she was the focus, had her on edge tonight.
"It's nothing," she lied, as poorly as usual. "Thanks for the present, really. I love it."
"Something's going on," I guessed, "isn't it?"
"Jake, I…no, there's nothing." She was starting to panic now. I was more convinced than before that something was up.
"Don't lie to me, you suck at lying. You should tell me what's going on. We want to know these things." I didn't even notice that I'd slipped into the pack plural at the end.
"Jacob, I will tell you. Just let me figure out what's happening, okay? I need to talk to Alice." Bella insisted. Yeah, the future-seeing leech. Oh, yeah.
"The psychic saw something."
Bella nodded. "Just when you showed up." Which explained why she'd been distracted this whole time; my arrival had probably prevented her from asking Alice what she'd seen.
"Is this about the bloodsucker in your room?" I asked quietly, making sure that only she would be able to hear me.
"It's related," she admitted.
I let that sink in a little. "You know something you're not telling me, something big." I decided. Bella had her protective look on. When would she learn that I wasn't the one who needed protecting?
She looked like she wanted to deny it, but knew I'd recognize it for the lie it was. "Yes."
I looked at her for another moment, then turned to where Embry and Quil were still at the front door. My expression must have spoken volumes, because they both instantly straightened up and began weaving their way through the throng of students to reach the spot where Bella and I were standing, instinctively falling it at my flanks.
"Now, explain." I ordered.
"Jacob, I don't know everything," her gaze was still traveling the room.
"What you do know, then."
"Her mouth opened, and squeaked, "Alice!" in relief.
The three of us turned our heads to see the tiny pixie-like vampire standing at the top of the stairs. Her descent paused ever so slightly as she caught Bella's use of her name. I knew the instant she saw the three of us, as her eyes instantly focused into irritation, completely obliterating the stress, worry, and even fear that had been there only an instant earlier. What is going on?! I wondered, instinctively leaning away from her, as my brothers were. I was surer than ever that we needed to know what was going on, yet a tiny part of me really didn't want to know what could get a vampire so scared. She reached the bottom of the stairs and was quickly at Bella's side.
"I need to talk to you," she whispered to Bella.
"Er, Jake, I'll see you later…" Bella managed, as Alice started to maneuver her away from us.
"Hey, not so fast," I insisted, bringing my arm up to block their escape.
Alice stared up at me, as if she couldn't believe I was telling her 'no'. "Excuse me?"
"Tell us what's going on," I demanded, in a near-growl.
I almost jumped out of my skin when another vampire appeared right next to us between one breath and the next. It was the young blond male, Jasper, if I remembered correctly, and he was Alice's mate, which explained the ferocious expression on his face. Figuring that discretion was the better part of valor, I slowly pulled my arm back, away from Alice and further from his reach. I got the feeling that if I left it there any longer, it and I would be parting ways.
"We have a right to know," I glared at her.
Jasper stepped closer, apparently viewing my glare as a threat to his mate. To either side of me, Quil and Embry tensed, expecting an attack.
Bella laughed a little hysterically, trying to distract us. "Hey, this is a party, remember?" We all ignored her.
Alice canted her head thoughtfully before addressing her mate. "It's okay, Jasper. He actually has a point." He didn't move even a fraction of an inch.
Bella seemed to have finally had enough. "What did you see, Alice?" she asked.
The pixie stared at me for another moment, before turning to answer Bella's question. "The decision's been made." What decision? I wondered. But Bella evidently knew exactly what Alice meant. What little color her face normally had drained away, and she looked like she was about to be sick.
"You're going to Seattle?" Bella gasped.
"No." Alice's denial sank like a stone into the tension surrounding us.
Quil, Embry and I were vibrating ever so slightly. Something really bad was going on here, and the urge to phase in defense was growing.
"They're coming here," Bella choked. "To Forks."
"Yes," Alice confirmed.
"For?" Bella couldn't seem to finish her question. The vampire didn't seem to need it. "One carried your red shirt."
Jasper was scowling, not at all happy with something, whether it was the topic of conversation or the fact that the pack was now in on it. "We can't let them come that far," he told Alice and Bella. "There aren't enough of us to protect the town."
What? What was coming, and why was Forks in danger? What weren't they telling us? I was really starting to freak out now.
Alice's face was full of grief. "I know," she told him, "but it doesn't matter where we stop them. There still won't be enough of us, and some of them will come here to search."
"No!" Bella whispered, though we all heard her. I knew what was coming next. Bella believed that we were all in danger, and that it was somehow her fault. She was going to try to do something to try and protect us all, even though she was the fragile, mortal, human. Typical Bella.
"Alice," she breathed. "I have to go; I have to get away from here."
"That won't help," Alice shook her head, her spiky black hair vibrating with the force of her movement. "It's not like we're dealing with a tracker. They'll still come looking here first."
"Then I have to go to meet them," Bella was really panicking now. "If they find what they're looking for, maybe they'll go away and not hurt anyone else!"
"Bella," Alice's exasperation was plain.
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and interrupted. "Hold it! What is coming?"
Alice's icy golden gaze seemed to pierce clean through me. "Our kind," she breathed, "lots of them."
"Why?" I demanded.
"For Bella. That's all we know."
"There are too many for you?" I scoffed derisively.
Jasper tensed up in response. "We have a few advantages, dog," he retorted. "It will be an even fight."
An absolutely brilliant idea blossomed in my mind, if I could pull it off, which I felt pretty confident of. It was revolutionary, but completely in line with the pack's mission of protection, as well as my personal one toward Bella. I could feel the fierce grin that was starting to spread across my mouth. "No," I told them all, "it won't be even."
"Excellent!" Alice hissed. Her face no longer showed fear, horror, or grief. Instead it was almost luminescent with excitement. She grinned widely at me, and I found myself grinning back.
"Everything just disappeared," she told me, rather smugly, I thought. "That's inconvenient, but, all things considered, I'll take it."
"We'll have to coordinate," I said, thinking aloud. "It won't be easy for us. Still, this is our job more than yours."
Alice tossed her head dismissively. "I wouldn't go that far, but we need the help. We aren't going to be picky." She was up on her tiptoes in her excitement, and I was leaning down closer, my nose wrinkled against her sickly sweet smell.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait," Bella seemed to have finally caught up with us, and figured out what was going on. Both Alice and I turned to look at her rather impatiently.
"Coordinate?" Bella got out.
"You honestly didn't thing you were going to keep us out of this?" I asked her in surprise.
"You are staying out of this," she insisted.
"You psychic doesn't think so," I retorted smugly. Bella couldn't argue with that, surely?
"Alice—tell them no!" she insisted again. "They'll get killed!"
My brothers and I all laughed. Her fears for our safety were more than a little insulting. After all, killing vampires was what we were born and bred to do.
"Bella," Alice cooed soothingly, "separately we all could get killed. Together—"
"It'll be no problem," I joined in.
Quil laughed in excitement, "How many?"
"No!" Bella said, again.
Alice ignored her to answer Quil. "It changes—twenty-one today, but the numbers are going down."
"Why?" I wondered.
"Long story," she answered, suddenly looking around, as if only now aware of where we were standing, with a good percentage of Fork's youths almost within reach. "And this isn't the place for it."
"Later tonight, then?" I pushed. We couldn't let this slide; we had to jump on it now.
"Yes," Jasper answered me. "We were already planning a…strategic meeting. If you're going to fight with us, you'll need some instruction." All three of us looked a little disgusted at that. We'd killed a leech before—we knew what we were doing.
Bella's low moan of "No," was almost inaudible as Jasper kept speaking thoughtfully. "This will be odd," he mused. "I never considered working together. This has to be a first." And it probably was. A treaty like we'd had with the Cullens for the last sixty-odd years was strange enough, an active alliance would be something else.
"No doubt about that," I agreed. I was twitching with the need to get moving. Sam and the others had to find out about this immediately. "We've got to get back to Sam," I told them. "What time?"
"What's too late for you?" he asked.
A triple eye-roll. We were used to staying up all night on patrol—a late-night meeting would be nothing. "What time?" I asked again.
"Three o'clock?"
"Where?" I moved on to the next practicality.
"About ten miles due north of the Hoh Forest ranger station." We knew it well from patrolling. "Come in from the west and you can follow our scent in."
"We'll be there," I said, as we turned for the door.
"Wait, Jake," Bella called. I paused, while the others kept moving.
"Don't be ridiculous, Bells," I chided. "You're giving me a much better gift than the one I gave you."
I saw her mouth shape "no" again, but it was drowned out by the blaring music. I ignored it anyway, heading for the door to catch up with the others. They were waiting for me by the car.
"Jake, how do you want to roll?" Embry asked.
"Let's get out of sight of the house first," I said, opening the driver's side door. "At the end of the drive, I'll get out and phase to run back. You two drive the car back and meet up with us." We had an alliance to arrange and a battle to plan. I couldn't wait.
AN 2: I'm not sure how far I'll take this one. Definitely through the meetings, and maybe through the battle and aftermath. Depends on inspiration and reader interest. Rest assured that I am planning out the next chapter of "The Wolf and His Girl".